“The concept is as easy as nailing a piece of rubber to a barn door,” says Heinz Mariacher, Scarpa’s storied shoe designing prophet, or – more formally – climbing line manager.  But don’t let his casual theorising about what he calls ‘Active Randing’ fool you. There’s more going on than Mariacher would lead you to believe. 

This is a great alternative to expensive energy bars. They taste a million times better than any commercial bar, has all the required ingredients for endurance activity, cheaper and probably healthier than any of the alternatives.

A detailed training schedule and plan for use in conjunction with the extensive Metolius Simulator Fingerboard, one of the most advanced resin boards available. 

Ten Sleep is dolomitic limestone, occasionally reminiscent of Euro rock but quite different most of the time. The greatest attribute is the profusion of deep pockets and in-cut jagged cracks which allow access to the steepest faces at relatively moderate grades. Some of the well weathered areas are similar to the welded tuff crags of New Mexico.

Coire Sputan Dearg is situated in the heart of the northern Cairngorms which means its a long way from civilisation in any direction. On the up side it is south facing, dries quickly and has a number of moderate classics to tick in remote and beautiful mountain terrain.

Fortunately for this year the summer monsoon season seems to be nearly over, soon to be replaced no doubt by the usual autumn deluge. Finding dry rock in the UK can be a bit of a dark art, and it is understandable that many head to the certainty of the indoor wall at the first sign of dark clouds on the horizon.

There is a plethora of information about Fontainebleau on the internet, from logistics information: how to get there, where to stay and when to go, to climbing information: which areas to go to, what problems to try. Rather than reiterating this easily findable information, the aim of this article is to give the reader a summary of the different guidebooks that are available in the UK.

I was looking for something different; nothing too frightening, well bolted routes with a good range of grades in a scenic location and, reasonably quiet. Too much to ask? Sicily didn’t disappoint. It is a mid grade paradise with hundreds of perfectly bolted lines in a beautiful coastal setting.

As with many subjects, there's an absolute wealth of information available on the internet on how to keep your skin in primo condition for rock climbing. However I believe that much of this advice is a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Being a believer that prevention is better than cure I've laid out some top tips to keep your fingers primed for crushing.

When you have been climbing for a number of years you tend to have a good idea of what gear works best and the things you like and dislike about different products.  This is true for all kinds of climbing hardware, but especially for quickdraws...